Freight-car door



June 12, 1923.

A. A. LARSON FREIGHT CAR DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 3l INVENTOR ATTO R N EY WITNESS:

June l2, 1.923.

A. A. LARSON FREIGHT CAR DooR Filed March y 31 1922 2A Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO RN EY WITNESS:

Patented-June l2, 1923.

`ALBERT n.' LAnsoN, or oNAWA, IowaA 1 -rREIGHT-CAB, Doon.

Applicationfrled March'- 31, 1922 Serial No.` 548,506.l

To aZZ'ww/'m z' may eofncemi:`V Y A .f Be it known that"IALBERT A.. LARsoN a citizen ofthe United' States, residin fat `Onawa, in the county of Monona and tate of Iowa, have invented new and 'useul Improvements in Freight-Car Doors, of which the followingisa specification. l

This invention relates to railway-rolling stock, and particularly -to door constructions for freight cars, and has for its object` the provision-of a novel 'rolling door which is associated with a spring drum Iwhereby the door normally tends. to roll into a; cylindrical form above thedoorway, the door being capable of being pulleddownwardly kin opposition tothe action of the spring drum whereby to -coverthe opening.

YAn importantobject is -theprovision of' a rolling doorof this character'which 1s` provided with novelmeans whereby it may be heldin any desired rpositionfwith the doorwayf entirelyjor partly uncovered vas may be found advisable yunder'various circumstances. l f.

A further object is the. provision" of a doorof this' character-which is 'so v:constructed that various strips'constituting the door are'arra'nged in such' away as to` be 'weather' tight-'and consequently exclude wind, and the'like from the'interior of the car. f' Y lAnother object is the p'rovisionvoi:` a device of this character whichA will bey simple and inexpensivein manufacture and-instal'- `lation, yhighly eicient in'use, .durable 1 in service and a general improvement in the arti Y v* With the `above, and other' objects and advantages in view, theV invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and c laimed,.and illustrated in the vaccompanyingdrawings in which,

vFigure l is afront elevation of my door associated with afreight car, v Y. y ylil`igure 2 is a verticalfsectional view taken through the door andv showing it in.1 closed position. l .c t,

Figure 3 is asimilar `view and showing the doorin open position. i, Figure f4; is Ja horizontalfsectiona-l' view takenA onthe line 4.4-4 of Figure l. "7 Figure 5 is adetail sectionalxviewshow'- Ting the 'connection of lthe cables with the lower strip of the door, 1 v

. Figure 7 i is c `Figure 6 is4 anl enlarged l.ellevatio'n,shows ing the latching device "in Athe inoperative position,v` v o a detailsection through the spring roller, ,c v i i y Figure 8 is a detail ,section showing a sliofhtmodication of the strips,xanla Y igure -9 is a detail view ofa' modification showing a ydiierent means ',or Vconnecting the door stripsorf-sections .Referring more particularly to the draw,- ings the letter A, designates a portionnof theside of ya lfreight car, lB designates-the doorjambslocatedtat opposite sidesof the kdoor opening, C represents the sill, and designates the lintel.. l ,i s Y In carrying outfmy invention I provide a pair of brackets 10 which are secured upon the jambs B above the vdoor opening and which are formed with rectangularl openes l ends 11 of ashaft 12 which is'surrounded by a coil spring 13 which hasonef-endsel Vcured to the shaft and which has its other end secu-red'to a cylindrical -sleeve14 which is disposed in .encircling relation to `the spring and shaft. Thisconstitutes a spring drum or roller structure 'and it will be ap'- parent that the spring'will operate to oppose rotation .of thevv sleeve 14 ,Theexact location of the brackets and I this-"spring roller structure is except that the location must naturallyl be abovev the doorl opening inthevside o ffthe car. Likewise there isnnot any restriction as to whether the'structure be mounted on the outside or the inside off.thecar though probably the latter is preferable. I

1 Thedoor proper comprises a plurality of horizontally disposed strips 15-v which are 'i threaded upon apair of `flexible.members such as wirevcables or; thelike indicatedat 16. These liexible members aresecured l.to and trained about the sleevvevlliv ofthe spring. rollerl structure. The various strips 15A are formed withyholes' 17 through which, the. liexible members pass. and the, lower most strip 18 is of no great consequence provided with holes 19 extending only partly therethrough for thereception ofthe Alower ends of the iexible members,

the'fiexible membersfbeing ,secured to-the v lowermost strip by meansV of transverse pins or bolts 20 which-V pass therethrough and to which theflexible members ares-suitably connected. .wilhbe *observedthat the meeting edges of all the strips 15 are inclined as indicated at 21, the inclination being'downwardly and outwardly with respect to the side of the car so as to exclude water and wind from entering. 1 If preferred, the edges of the strips may be rounded as shown at 21a in Figure 8.

In Figure 9 I have shown the door strips as carrying leaves 21b terminating at their ends in knuckles 21c which are pivotally connected and which take vthe place of the flexible members 17. f

It should be stated that the confronting faces of vthe door jambs 'are formed with suitable channel guides 22 within which the ends of the strips constituting the door are slidably engaged, these guides operating to prevent the strips from lateral displacement with respect to the door opening.

In order that the door -formed by the plurality of strips carried by the flexible members rmight be held in any desired position within the door opening, I provide a latching device which comprises an elongated horizontal rod 23 which has its end portions slidably mounted within suitable guides 24 secured upon the lowermost door strip 18 and which hasl its intermediate portion formed with an open loop 25 designed to be swungdownwardly over and into engagement with a triangular lug 26 carried by the strip 18, the engagement of the ends of the 'loop upon this lug operating to force the loop more Widely open and consequently move the portions of the rod 23 outwardly so that the extremities will frictionally engage the flanges of the guides 22; Located beneath the member 26 is a U bracket 27 which receives the loop 25 when the door is closed. This U member is formed with holes through which may be passed the usual seal wire 28.

Assuming that the device has been constructed and assembled as above described and as illustrated in they drawings, the operation is as follows: When the door is open it is apparent that all of the strips and the flexible members will be arranged in coiled formation upon the spring roller structure at the top of the doorway so that there `will be no obstruction' to the door opening. When it is desired to close the door, it is necessary to pull all the strips downwardly by grasping the'lowermost strip 18 until the door has covered the entire door opening or as much thereof as is desired depending upon the circumstances,` whereupon when the loop 25 is swung over the lug 26 the end portions of therod 23 will be forced outwardly'into frictional engagement with the walls of the guides 22 so as to hold the door in this position with the spring 13 of the roller structure held under tension. When the door latching device formed by the rod 23 is subsequently released it is apparent that the tension of the spring 13 will operate to move the door into its open position. As above stated the meeting edges of the strips are inclined so as to exclude the weather and it is thereforeapparent that the device should be very effective as a door and highly advantageous especially in View of the fact that when open it will occupy such a small space'above the door opening.

While I have shown and described the door as4 intended for usein freight cars, it should be understood thatit may be used wherever'a rolling door is desired. It is also to be noted that I reservethe right to makev such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. Y

Having thus described my invention I claim; j i 1. In combination with thedoor jambs Yof a freight car provided 'on their confronting faces withguides. a door structure comprising a spring roller secured above the door opening, a rolling door carried by the spring roller and having its edges 'slidable along said guides, and a latching device-for holding the door at a selected position consisting yof an extensible rod mounted 'upon the door, and cam meansmountedl ony the door engageable by 'the rod upon partial rotation thereof for forcing the end portions of said rod longitudinally in opposite directions to engage said guides. 2. In combination with the door jambs of a freight car provided at their confronting faces with guides, a door structure comprising a spring roller mounted above the door opening, a rolling door carried by said roller and having its 4edges'slidable along said guides, a rod rotatably and somewhat slidlably mounted upon the door having its intermediate portion formed asan open loo and a cam projection on thel door over whic said loop maybe forced to move theend portions of the rod longitudinally outwardly into engagement with said guides.

3. In combination withthe door jambsjof a freightcar `provided at'their confronting faces -with guides, a door structure comprising a spring roller mounted above the door opening, a rolling 'door' carried by said roller and having its edges slidable along said Guides, a rod'rotatablyand somewhat slidaldly mounted upon the door having its intermediate portion formed as an open loop, and a cam Vprojectiononthe door over which said loop may be forced to-'move the end portions ofthe rod longitudinallyV outwardly into engagement with said guides, said loop being formed with inward projections, and said cam projection having ahead with inclined sidesupon vwhich said .inward projections ride when the loop is turned downwardly. f Y 'f 1,458,832 A i i 4. In combination with the door ambs of a freight car provided with guides, a door structure comprising a spring roller mounted above the door opening, a rolling door carried by the Spring roller and having its edges slidable along said guides, and a latching device for holding the door at a selected position consisting of a longitudinally eX- tensible member rotatably mounted upon the door and cam means mounted on the door `10 engageable by said memberv upon partial Y rotation thereof for moving thee/nd portions y thereof longitudinallyA outwardly tofengage said guides.

In testimony Whereof I affix my 'signa- 

